


Barking Up The Wrong Tree

by Krypton025



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:54:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24184714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krypton025/pseuds/Krypton025
Summary: In this alternative universe where Sam and Dean are normal teenagers going to a high school just like everyone else, EXCEPT Dean slowly finds out he still feels like an outsider in front of his baby brother and father.
Relationships: Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	Barking Up The Wrong Tree

“You are barking up the wrong tree again, Sammy,” Dean jumps down from the teacher’s desk, making a crisp bang on the wooden floor with his worn cowboy boots, and chases after his brother. Sam has gotten into trouble with his math teacher. Unlike Dean, Sam has always been a straight A student, so it’s not everyday he gets a detention.  
“Hold on, Sam! I’m gonna grab my bag,” Dean shouts as Sam continues to walk away quickly. Dean yanks his bag from his unlocked locker and shoves in as many book as he can.  
“Seriously, Sammy, you’re barking up the wrong tree. Did you correct Miss. Benedict again? In front of the whole class?”  
Sam continues to walk towards the Principal's office.  
“You know she doesn’t like it when you call out––Sam! Wait!” Dean yanks his brother  
by his bookbag.  
“What!” Sam violently jerks around.  
“I’m just making sure you know the right thing to say, last time––”  
“I’m going to tell the truth.”  
“You got a month worth of detention last time you pulled one of those.”  
“I told him the truth. It’s not my fault he has a tiny brain.”  
“No, Sam. Just apologize. You are barking up the wrong tree.”  
“Stop saying that!” Sam spits out his words as he walks into the Principal's office. Dean hears Mr. Stanton greeting his brother as the heavy metal door shuts in his face.

It’s not very often that Dean is on this side of the Principal's door. He doesn’t care much for school, other than copying down some chick-flick poems he can give to his girlfriends later. People has always said Sam is the brain of this family. Dean knows what his brother’s dream is and he genuinely wishes Sam to get into one of those really expensive private schools. He knows Sam can probably get a full ride for those schools, but he still started working extra jobs a year ago just in case.  
Dean has always worked at the diner next to Lisa’s coffee where he can usually score some free coffee if the barista is someone from his school. Now he is also working at Mr. Nestor’s car shop along with his father. The extra hours are a little rough, but he quite liked the job. Fixing cars is one of the passions he and his dad shares dearly. It was quite an honor when his dad finally gave Dean his black Impala 67’.  
Sam, on the other hand, is quite a different story. Unlike Dean who wants to become a mechanic in this little Kansas town, Sam desperately wishes to get out of Lawrence. Dean had to sit through countless fights between Sam and dad whenever the topic of college came up. He never partook in those fights.  
Dean has always obeyed dad’s words like a good little soldier, Sam, on the other hand, constantly challenged dad’s authority in the house. It doesn’t matter if Dean is wearing dad’s old leather jacket, or driving the black impala, people only took notice of how similar dad and Sam are. How they are both determined and stubborn. How they both wouldn’t listen to others after they’ve made up their mind.  
But that’s enough. That’s enough right there. Dean reaches into his bookbag and pulls out the same old walkman he brings wherever he goes. Though this time, the pumping rock songs does not bring his mind to a place of excitement and joy. Instead, he keeps wondering, why is he so different from Sam? So different from––  
Bang!  
Dean’s thought is suddenly interrupted by the startling noise behind him, though he is nearly thankful for that interruption.  
“How’d go?” Dean catches up to his brother.  
“I don’t wanna talk about it.” Sam keeps walking ahead of Dean, hiding his face.  
“My god, Sam. Why do you keep letting this happen? Why can’t you just––”  
“No, no! No, you don’t get to say that to me. You never stand up for me. Not in front of dad. Not in front of anyone. Now you want to teach me a lesson?” Sam turns around after spitting out his words with quivering lips.  
“No...no...I just...You know, I just want to help...All I’m saying is you’re barking up the wrong tree, Sam, if you could just––”  
“STOP!”  
“Wha––”  
“Stop saying that! I hate it when you say that. You don’t even make sense. I know what I want. What I want is to be away from here, from dad, and from that stupid mechenic shop, and you know what, Dean...You, you are the one that’s barking up the wrong tree.” Sam then proceeds to announce that he will be walking home today, and leaves Dean alone in the busy hallway.  
This certainly isn’t their first fight, but this time, something feels different for Dean. It’s like Ramy just found Dean’s secrete weakness, so secretive Dean didn’t even know about it himself, and hit it with every fiber in his body, hit it with all the rage he had for their tiny family. Dean drags himself outside and realizes just how cold it is outside. Usually he’d be worried about his brother catching a cold, but now, all Dean wants is to find his car, drive a few blocks away from the school, and curl up in the back seat. 

That night, after finishing the family dinner, cheeseburgers and sodas that was brought back from the mechanics shop’s employee’s diner, Dean retrieves back to his room. He spreads himself across his bed and pulls out the mechanical handbook he inherited from his dad as usual. But today, somehow, the tiny drawings of car parts and his dad’s handwriting doesn’t excite him anymore. In fact, the faint scent of car grease actually nausieated him. Maybe Sammy was right, Dean’s mind starts to wonder, maybe I am barking up the wrong tree. All the wrong trees.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever story. Thank you for reading! Leave a comment if you like.


End file.
